From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Chairman of South Governor’s Forum and Governor of Ebonyi state, David Umahi, yesterday said the region does not need the security outfit recently launched by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ,Nnamdi Kanu, to protect the zone.
Kanu recently launched Eastern Security Network(ESN) to protect the zone from Fulani herdsmen and other security challenges, saying the outfit became imperative because of the failure of the governors and leaders of the zone to take proactive measures towards the protection of lives and property of the people.
But Umahi on Friday insisted that the region remains the safest in the entire nation and does not need Kanu’s outfit.
Umahi who stated this while briefing journalists in his office in Abakaliki urged the people to disregard the purported security outfit, noting that the governors and leaders of the region were doing everything within their powers to protect the lives and property of the citizens and that of those from other regions living in the area.
He expressed worry that some youths from the region allowed themselves to be engaged for the destruction of lives and property, vowing that leaders of the zone will resist the outfit.
“Our region remains the safest and nobody can controvert this. And so, our brother said he has formed security outfit for the southeast. It is very laughable and should be totally ignored.
“I commend very highly the Southeast Governors. It is only in the Southeast that the leaders are being castigated openly. It is the duty of the Governors to protect the lives of the citizens and also the citizens of other regions living in their states that are not from Southeast. I want them to ignore the side distractions.
“We are doing a lot in education of our people, payment of salaries, infrastructure development and most especially the security of our people. No Governor will come openly to tell you A to Z what he is doing about security. But I want it to be debated whether Southeast is not the safest in the country.
“We need to warn that our youths should desist from being engaged for the destruction of lives and property. During the #EndSARS, this happened in all the states of the Southeast. The Governors of Southeast will no longer tolerate that. We continue to keep our eyes on the ball to ensure that anybody living under our care is protected”, he said.
Speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Umahi directed strict enforcement of the coronavirus protocols to contain the current wave of the disease in all parts of the country.
“I am directing that church services should not last more than two hours. I am directing that we should step up our testing. Before the end of January, we must have accomplished the presidential taskforce target of 450 people tested in each of the 13 LGAs. I have suspended large gathering of people in Ebonyi State. We have directed that wearing of nose mask is very compulsory in all public places and in our homes,” he said.
